


Tower of strength

by myotishia



Series: Psyonic [5]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A quiet start to the day turns sour when the rift begins to warp a block of flats. Has this happened before?
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Psyonic [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766956
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	1. First floor

Melody hadn’t been exactly thrilled at the idea of learning self defence. Not because she didn’t want to be able to, but she knew it would show just how physically weak she was. The fact that she knew how every crack in the ceiling looked was just rubbing it in. Gwen offered a hand to help her up. 

“Is there any chance I can just live the rest of my life in a bunker?” Mel said, catching her breath as she took Gwens hand and got up. 

She chuckled and helped steady her friend. “You’ll get it. We just need to find a style that works for you. What were you good at in school when you did PE?”

“Mostly sitting on the sidelines, walking around the field, telling teachers that no I couldn’t run with the others.”

“Ah.”

“Yea. I nearly got a substitute teacher fired once.”

“Ok.” She took a drink from her bottle of water. “How?”

Mel leaned against the wall. “Well, this substitute didn’t have any sympathy of the kids that weren’t sporty, you know? She insisted we each had to sprint two hundred metres before the end of class. I told her my doctor said I shouldn’t be sprinting at all. She told me to stop making excuses. Even the other kids who were usually arseholes to me were telling her it could hurt me but she didn’t believe them either. They said I should just walk it and noone would laugh at me or anything for it. I gave it my all. My friend Sarah said this teacher had this self satisfied smirk on her face right up until I hit the floor. Now, me and my friends knew that sometimes when I overdid it I’d cough up blood. Two of the lads run back and help me sit up. My knees were grazed, my elbows were skinned and I was wheezing like a pack a day smoker. That’s when the coughing started and this teacher goes pale. My other friend had run to the office to call an ambulance and my mum. While the paramedics are dealing with me my mum marches into the school. My mum’s a force of nature when she’s angry and she was ready to destroy this teacher. From what I heard, she went into a meeting with this teacher and the head teacher and there was a lot of shouting. The school nurse was listening outside the door and said she heard the head teach absolutely explode when he heard what happened.”

“I like your mum.” She snickered. “Isn’t there anything that can be done to help your lungs?” 

“Short of a transplant, no. Don’t tell Jack but to save me the doctors had to take a chunk of my lung that was too damaged and what’s left has a few nasty scars. The alien parasite had really dug its spines in.”

“Does Owen know?”

“Yea, but the whole doctor patient confidentiality thing means he won’t say anything unless it’s an emergency. I’m not doing too badly for how damaged I am.”

“I’m surprised you’ve been keeping up at all.”

“It’s why I walk everywhere, just for the exercise. I can even jog for a little while. It’s just running for any length of time that’ll put me out.” 

“I’m surprised Owen cleared you to work.”

“Do you often go sprinting when you’re filing papers? Or ordering food?”

“Ok, ok, I asked for that. Have you spoken to Jack about what happened last month?”

Mel frowned, sighing. “No. I haven’t found a good time to bring it up. Not that it’s any of my business… No one else has a power like that, do they?”

“No. It’s just him.”

“It explains a lot but… It was a shock but I’m kind of glad. I mean for a moment I thought he was dead.” She reached for the pendant that usually sat around her neck but it wasn’t there. The glass had finally cracked when she’d been holding it as Jack had revived. She’d only just gotten around to replacing the glass surround but hadn’t had time to finish putting it together before work. She’d spent the night before carefully blotting away a blood stain on the paper component. It wasn’t gone completely, but it was a lot less noticeable. 

Gwen squeezed her shoulder lightly. “Come on, let’s try a few more moves and call it a day. I’ll teach you a few dirty tricks.”

Ianto couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The weevil that they’d removed from Tesco was back after being released miles away, and had gorged itself on a good portion of the refrigerated meat section in ASDA. 

“Tex… Are you serious?” He said like a grumpy teacher. 

Jack looked over. “Tex?”

“Well, Tesc didn’t really sound right so I called him Tex.”

He chuckled and shook his head, almost judging the weevil. 

Tex whined as if he was regretting every decision he’d ever made. Going by how the studs of his jumpsuit were straining he probably was. He’d been stuffing his face for hours by the looks of it. Jack crouched next to the creature, made docile by its overeating, and clamped its hands behind its back. It made a show of growling at him and baring its fangs but it was all bark and no bite. Both men helped it onto its feet and led it out, past the confused looking manager whos day was only going to get worse when he saw the level of cleanup necessary. Tex seemed quite happy to get into the boot of the SUV for a nap as it was warm and he recognised it. 

“That went pretty well.” Jack smiled.

Ianto rolled his eyes. “Maybe for you. I’ve got to add him to our permanent residents list.”

He found his boyfriends exasperation endearing and didn’t even argue when he decided it was his turn to drive. The roads weren’t busy but they were slow, as if they were intentionally throwing every red light they could at the SUV. Usually that would be a problem but Tex was fast asleep. 

“Have you talked to Mel about what happened last month?” Ianto asked, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited at yet another red light. 

Jack was pulled from his thoughts. “No. Is she having trouble?”

“Not that she’s mentioned but… Finding out you’re immortal is something that people don’t usually take so well.”

“She seemed ok with it at the time.”

“She was relieved you weren’t dead and she was being rescued. You can’t make a judgement on that alone.”

“If she wants to talk about it then she knows where I am. She’s been dealing with impossible things since she was a kid. This isn’t going to be as much of a shock to her as it was for all of you.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“Will it make you feel better if I talk to her?”

“Only if you think it would be necessary.”

“Ianto.”

“Yes, it would make me feel better. Still no word on Osiris snooping around?”

“No. They covered their tracks pretty well. We’ll have to be more careful about them in the future. Tosh updated one of her search algorithms specifically to find them.”

“I don’t blame her after the concussion they gave her.”

Tosh crouched by the tide pool and placed two objects down just by the side of the water. Owen wandered down beside her, curious as to what she was up to. The objects unfurled into two robots, each around the size of a duck. They rolled forward on tracks and began swimming in circles, bobbing up and down as they went. They made happy beeping noises as they looked up at Tosh. 

“What are they?” Asked Owen.

She smiled brightly. “This one’s Syn and that one’s Tax. They’re robotic pets.”

“Where did you get them from?”

“Remember that ship we found about a year ago that we thought was just full of rubbish. Well, I found a gift box with these two in. They were damaged but not irreparable so I’ve been working on them on and off for a while. Just a little side project. I got them working before but they were still damaged enough that water could get into their casings. Now they’re watertight and I think they like it.” 

“So they’re toys.”

“Yes and no. Their AI is far more advanced than anything we could imagine right now. They can learn and actually get lonely. That’s why they come in pairs.”

He had to admit that her enthusiasm was adorable and something he welcomed after how worried he’d been about her. A concussion is not a mild injury. She’d spent days constantly nauseous and dizzy. He’d taken a week off just to take care of her as she could barely function. By week two she didn’t need him to help her but she’d still had to take the time off. He’d been scared. Terrified. No matter how many times she said she felt fine he couldn’t help it, but seeing her smiling at these two little robots made him feel a bit better. 

“Think they can learn to do my paperwork for me?” He smirked.

“I know you’re joking but technically they could. Not that I’ll let you.”

The robots used their stubby arms to help pull themselves out of the water, trilling a simple little tune. The green one, Syn, rolled its way towards the stairs. Gwen stopped as she saw the little thing.

“Tosh, is this yours?” She asked. 

Syn waved its stubby arm and made a happy beeping noise before returning to where Tax was sat. 

Tosh chuckled lightly. “They are. Watch this. Syn, Tax, back to your station.”

The two robots beeped their confirmation and clumsily made their way up the steps to the underside of Toshikos desk where their docking station was left. 

“They’re adorable.”

“I’m going to teach them how to take notes and solve simple problems.”

“Make sure Myfanwy can’t get hold of them.”

“That’s why they’re under my desk. How did your lesson go?”

Gwen gave a noncommittal “ehh” noise. 

“I told you it wasn’t going to go well.” Owen said flatly, wandering up to his own desk.

“Yes, but you didn’t say why.” 

“I couldn’t say anything, you know that. Anyway, you should trust me on that kind of thing by now.” He shrugged. “How long did she last?”

“She lasted the whole lesson. I just don’t think she has the strength to put it into practice. I resorted to teaching her all the dirty tricks I usually tell people not to do.”

“If you were going to do that I could have taught her.” 

Tosh was a little lost as to what they were talking about. She thought that it was maybe something they’d spoken about when she was away. She’d ask Owen about it later. Her computer beeped as a warning popped up on her screen. She trotted over to check it. Unusual rift activity.

“That the end of our down time?” Asked Owen, turning in his chair.

“Possibly …Nothing’s travelled through but I’ll have to keep an eye on it.” 

“Should I risk calling Jack?”

“He’s only out hunting down a weevil.”

“No, he’s weevil hunting. I still don’t know if that’s a euphemism and frankly I don’t fancy finding out.”

Gwen laughed to herself. “Never heard of you wimping out of anything Owen.”

“I will happily face down an alien invasion but Harkness answering the phone in the middle of nailing the tea boy, no chance.”

“I’d never be rude enough to answer the phone half way through.” Jack grinned as he walked up from the cells. “That just kills the mood.”

After a relaxed day Melody headed home. She often got to leave a little early as long as everything she needed to do was done. Stepping into her now furnished flat she pulled off her jacket and tossed it over the back of the sofa. She’d just settled when her phone rang at her. She clumsily grabbed it and answered. 

“Hi mum, what’s up?”

A voice that wasn’t her mothers answered. “Hi.”

“Persephone? Is mum ok?”

“Yea, mum’s fine. I just don’t have my phone. Not that you’d answer if I did.” Mels sister sneered. 

She rolled her eyes. “What do you want to talk to me about then?”

“Weeelll, I need a bit of a favour.”

“From me? I’m not Delilah.”

“So?”

“So last time we spoke face to face you said I ruined your life and you wished I’d never been born.”

“I was angry and I shouldn’t have said that. You’re my little sister. You know I love you.”

“What favour do you need?”

“Me and Kyle kind of broke up and now I have nowhere to go. Mum and dad don’t have space. Nan and grandad don’t have space. I just need a place for a few days.”

“Can’t you get a hotel room? I don’t really have space either.”

“I don’t have the money for that. Please. I promise I won’t make a mess.”

She shook her head, actually considering it for a moment. “How about I just send you the money for a week at a hotel.”

“When did you get enough money for that?”

“I got a bonus from work. Do you want it or not?”

“Yea. I’ll text you my bank details… And thanks.”

“It’s ok.” She frowned before hanging up. She wouldn’t be able to stand having her sister living with her even for a short time, especially as there would be a few things that would be hard to explain about her work. She’d just transferred the money when she got another call. Thankfully this one was from Ianto. 

“Hi, did I leave something at work?”

“No. Listen, is anything strange happening around your building?”

“Not that I’ve noticed. Why?”

“We just picked up a huge rift activity spike and your building is right at the centre.” 

“Of course it is.” She mumbled to herself. “What should I do?”

“Stay where you are until we get to you. If it’s had no effect on you yet you might be in a safe zone. Just be on guard.”

“I will.” She rubbed her temples and decided that staying on the sofa would be the best thing to do, that was until she heard something move in the hallway. 


	2. Second floor

The Hydrangea apartments were one of the nicer apartment blocks in Cardiff and would usually be well out of a single persons price range unless they were in a very high paying job. Ianto had wondered why the name of the place had sparked a vague memory but until this point it had just been an oddity. When he’d mentioned to the other that Melody lived in that block Jack, Tosh and Owen had shared a very concerned look. Two years before Jack had ended up checking the place out as it had been suddenly abandoned. Each flat had looked as if someone had just left, like the fire alarm had gone off and everyone would be right back. Meals had been left on tables half eaten. Pans had been left to burn to ashes. At the time he’d thought that something had made its way through and either taken the residents or eaten them. They’d been too late to do anything about it. Since then the flats had rarely stayed rented for more than a few months. The place was full of ghost stories, voices in the darkness, items moving of their own accord, footsteps in the hallways and strange figures only seen in the corner of peoples eyes. It was easy to assume it was just people hearing about the mass disappearance and letting their imaginations get the better of them. The building looked perfectly normal, at least at a glance. Gwen couldn’t say why but the trees outside looked wrong somehow but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. 

“Are you joining us?” Asked Owen, waving a hand in front of her face.

She startled back to reality. “Do the trees look strange to you?”

He gave her a quizzical look then stared at the trees. They looked blurry. Like a double exposure but moving. 

Jack stopped, holding the door, and looked over to his staff. “We should evacuate everyone, just in case.”

“There are only six tenants in the entire building.” Ianto pointed out. 

“Then it’ll be really easy to get them out.” 

“Oh?”

He grinned and hit the fire alarm. 

Melody sighed to herself. She knew it shouldn’t take this long to get from the hub to her place but maybe they ran into some trouble? That or whoever was running up and down the hallway had something to do with it. Looking over at the table she placed the new piece of glass into her pendant and pulled it on. It was different but felt as comforting as ever. She pushed herself off the sofa and wandered over to the door, quietly pulling it open to see what was going on. A man stood just down the hall, a bag on his back and a crowbar in hand. At the other end of the doorway she heard something move and make a muffled growling noise. A rusty piece of metal flew towards the man, missing him by inches. 

He caught Mels eye. “Get inside and lock the door before it kills you!” He barked, deflecting another rusted spike ball with the crowbar. 

A quick scan said he wasn’t a danger to her so she waved him inside, closing the door behind him. 

“You… You’re new. Oh god is it happening again?”

“Is what happening again?” 

“A long time ago everyone who lived here found ourselves in… How do I even put this?... Like a parallel world. The only people here were us.”

“What’s out there then?”

“We call them Cleaners. They won’t come into the flats but they patrol the hallways and try to kill whoever they find. They’re huge things with spikes sticking out of them… I’m sorry, I didn’t ask your name.”

“I’m Melody.”

“Nice to meet you Melody. Wish it wasn’t because you got trapped here but still. I’m Ben, and I’m so sorry you’re trapped here.”

“Don’t give up. There’s help on the way and if anyone can get us out it’s them.”

“Who? The government? Military?”

“No. Torchwood.”

“Well, I hope this Torchwood are as good as you say because, trust me, this place is hell.”

Jack was very thankful that Ianto had all the door codes up to Melodys flat. The other tenants had evacuated but Mel had evidently done as she was told and stayed exactly where she was. Gwen had gone with Tosh to see if they could find the epicentre of the activity and Owen had gone with Jack. The captain knocked on the apartment door and waited. No reply.

“Mel? Are you in there?” 

Still no reply. He frowned deeply and called her mobile number. It didn’t connect. He and Owen traded concerned expressions and he took a step back, ready to kick in the door. A growl drifted down the hallway just before Jack hit the floor, a rusty metal ball covered in spikes slamming into his arm hard enough to knock him off his feet. Thankfully the rust made it catch in the fabric so it didn’t break through. It thumped onto the carpet as Owen helped Jack up, seeing the creature that had thrown it lumbering towards them. The nightmarish figure was dressed head to toe in bloodstained, filthy, off white fabric, bar a leather apron and a mask that could have been part of its face. Both men fired upon it, holes appearing on its body leaking rancid black ichor but it seemed unfazed. It took a stance as if it was about to charge so they sprinted down the closest stairwell.

“The hell is that thing?!” Owen asked, starting to wonder if he was having some kind of nightmare. 

“Not a clue. I’ve never seen anything like that before.” He tapped his earpiece but only got silence in return. “Sounds like comms are down.”

Above them the creature slammed into the wall, having charged blindly towards where they’d been moments ago. It turned its head, barely even stunned by the impact, and seemed to sniff the air, searching for them. Jack gestured for Owen to head down to the stairwell at the other end of the building as quietly as he could, while he took a few more steps.

“Hey! Spiky, come and get me!” He called, getting the beasts full attention to lure it down two more floors. It took the bait and allowed Owen to make his way back up the long way around. He realised the alarm had switched off and the place was pretty much silent. It shouldn’t have been anywhere near that quiet, even when empty. Ascending the far staircase he made his way up, hoping to find Gwen and Tosh before that monster came back. Maybe Melody had hidden somewhere too. This whole situation had descended into chaos a lot faster than usual. Up ahead he spotted Melody talking with a man who looked like he’d been scavenging for supplies in some kind of zombie movie. 

“Mel!” He called as loudly as he thought was safe. 

Melody turned, relief washing over her face. “Owen. This is Ben. He said he’s been here for a long time.”

“Yea, great, we need to get Tosh and Gwen then get the hell out of here.”

“Did you see one of the Cleaner creatures?”

“Jack lured it away. Bloody thing just shrugs off gunshots.”

Ben raised an eyebrow but decided it was best not to question that. “We should get inside one of the flats before another cleaner turns up.”

“There’s more than one?!”

“There are five that we know of.”

“You must be one of the people that disappeared two years ago. How many are left?”

“Three of us.” 

“Christ. Ok, let’s keep going for now, we can try the flat doors if we spot another one of those things.” 

Toshiko was more than a little confused by the readings she was getting. One moment she thought she’d found the epicentre and the next it had moved. It was switching between two positions. One inside a top floor flat and one on the roof. Close but far enough away to cause a distortion in reality. It was as if both areas were trying to merge, but couldn’t quite line up. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief as the fire alarm stopped, letting her think. 

“What are we looking at here then?” She asked.

Tosh didn’t glance up, concentrating on her calculations. “Somehow a pocket dimension has formed that’s overlapping our world but isn’t quite aligned. If I’m correct then two years ago the same thing happened. The tenants ended up trapped in the pocket universe when it couldn’t realign.”

“Can we line them up? Maybe those people are still alive.”

“That’s what I’m trying to work out. Every time I think I’ve got it something changes. I need something on the other side to use as a solid reference point.”

Ben had taken the lead as he knew where he was going. He’d led them up another floor when he heard a familiar muffled growl from behind them.

“It’s not far, we can outrun them.” He whispered.

Melody and Owen nodded, following. Though she was slower than the other two she was keeping up pretty well. Owen held the door for her pushing her inside before she was hit by one of the spiked balls. It grazed Owens arm, one of the spikes slicing into his jacket and scraping his arm. He pulled the door closed before shrugging the coat off to check on the damage. Not too bad. It had drawn blood but wouldn’t need stitches. It burned like nothing else. 

Ben gasped. “Did that thing hit you?”

“Yea. It’s just a scratch. It hasn’t been long since my last tetanus booster so it’ll be fine.” The doctor shrugged, trying to stop himself scratching at it. 

“You don’t understand. Each of those spikes is covered in a poison.”

“What? What kind?”

“I don’t know the science behind it but even the slightest scratch can paralyse you in five minutes, knock you out in ten… Kill you in twenty. Oh god.” 

He clenched his jaw. If it was just a straight run he could make it to the SUV in way less than five minutes but with those things roaming around there was no way he’d make it. “Shit… Shit!” He kicked one of the chairs in frustration. 

“Owen… Calm down. The higher your heart rate the faster it’ll move.” Melody said, her voice eerily calm.

He shook his head. “Now isn’t the time for you to be screwing with my head Mel. If I can’t get to the SUV, if it’s even there, then I’m dead! And I can’t even say goodbye to Tosh. Fuck knows where Jack’s gone!” He paced back and forth, fear radiating off him. 

“Objects in the real world are accessible here right?” She asked, Ben nodding in reply. “Then I’ll go down and get the poisons kit from the SUV.”

“You won’t make it half way down! Even if you do, you aren’t fully trained-”

“I refuse to sit here and watch you die! Anyway, I did actually listen during your medical course. I can do this.”

“Mel… If you die-”

“I won’t. Please, just let me do this.”

He collapsed to his knees, Melody catching him before he hit the floor. “Looks like I don’t have a choice.”

Ben helped him over to the sofa so he wouldn’t have to wait on the floor. She pulled the pendant from around her neck and placed it into Owens hand. 

“Here. Now I have to come back, no matter what.” She smiled softly. 

He ran his thumb over the warm glass as she ventured back out just hoping they’d both make it out of all this alive.

Jack gasped back to life in the darkness. He had no idea where he was but it smelled like a mix of dust, metal, oil and the residue of long dead bones. Sitting up he pulled a torch from his coat pocket and switched it on. The small space lit up to show piles of bones, some shattered, others still intact. The room wasn’t a room at all, not really, but the very bottom of a lift shaft. Something had been disposing of bodies down there. Most likely the cleaners. Even in such a place he couldn’t help imagining the look on Iantos face when he saw the torn and bloodied state of Jacks shirt, or the amount of dust clinging to the captains greatcoat. The thought was almost comforting as he ascended the old maintenance ladder up to the nearest doors. He pressed his fingers between the metal doors and pried them open just enough to crawl through and into the dark basement. It looked like the place had been used to store old furniture, cleaning supplies, tools and whatever else the landlord couldn’t find a space for. A typical basement on all accounts, other than something humanoid in the corner. He turned his torch, ready to run if it was a cleaner, but it wasn’t. Or at least it wasn’t a complete one. It looked like a skeleton made of rusted metal, bones held together with old pieces of wire. It was easily seven feet tall and it was pinned to the wall. A table sat collecting dust next to the metal skeleton with an old dictaphone sat next to a lamp on top. He switched on the lamp, casting a yellow orange glow over the surface. He picked up the dusty recorder and pressed rewind then play. A crackling male voice played. 

“I hate evicting tenants. I even let them stay an extra month because of the new year but I couldn’t keep it up forever. The bloke didn’t even fight it. He just walked out with a backpack and was gone. God the place was a mess. Full of junk. While I was cleaning up I found this thing. It looked like a model of a heart but it had this glow to it. He didn’t want it so I thought I’d keep it.” There was a pause before the next excerpt started. “It’s February the first and I’ve… I’ve found something amazing. That heart model I took from that hoarder can… It’s like it transports you to a parallel dimension. There are no people but the buildings all here. I can go wherever I want. I admit it’s a bit creepy but I’m not touching anything. It’s great for cleaning and fixing things. No one around to bother me. It’s great…. It’s the third of February and there are things living in that dimension. They’re like shadows but they’re huge. They don’t like me being around. I suppose it’s their world. I’ve decided to try and make a model of one in my free time. Life size…. It’s the fifth of February and… The heart’s been acting strange. It beats when I’m in the other world and… Well, those shadows look more solid now. They charged at me twice and it hurt. It actually hurt… It’s… It’s the eighth of February. I made a mistake. A big mistake. Those shadows aren’t shadows anymore. They’re solid and they look like something from a horror movie. I only just escaped them but… God they hit me with this spiky thing and I can’t move my legs. I dropped the heart and it burst. I was on the roof and it just exploded. If I’m quiet maybe those things won’t find me… Oh fuck. I think they can smell the stuff that was on those spikes…. NO!” The recording became a mess of distorted screams and the sound of breaking bones. 


	3. Third floor

Ben brought a blanket over for Owen, who had gone very pale. 

“Thanks.” Owen said, his voice a little strained. 

Ben sat down next to the sofa. “I wish we’d made it up another floor. I could have at least given you a few shots of strong whisky to help make this easier.” 

“Sounds good right now. How long’s it been?”

“Three minutes. Once you’re out it should stop hurting… Anything you want me to tell anyone if I can find them?”

“If you can get a message back to the real world… Tell Tosh I said I love her… And I’m a moron… Should have said something sooner… I never say what I should… When I should… Fuck, it’s getting hard to breathe.”

“I’ll make sure she gets the message if I can. I’ll wait for as long as I can here. You’d think with how many people I’ve seen caught by the cleaners it’d get easier, but it never does.”

“Death never… Gets easier… Trust me.”

“Oh?”

“I’m a doctor… Seen enough… People die… Get me my… Coat while I can… Still move my hands.”

He grabbed Owens coat and handed it over. 

With shaking hands and slowly numbing fingers he sorted through the vials he had stored in it, pulling out one and loading the injector with it. He was just strong enough to activate it before dropping it to the floor. After a moment his breathing eased a little. 

“Fancy. What kind of doctor are you?”

“A bit of everything these days, mostly research I suppose. Not a bad job.”

“I bet you meet some interesting people.”

“I work with a few, yea.”

“What about Melody?”

“She’s meant to just do paperwork but she just attracts trouble… She didn’t deserve this, you know? I hate that she’s going to end up dead out there alone.” 

“What makes you so sure?”

“She can’t run for more than a hundred meters without collapsing. Going out there was suicide and there was nothing I could say to stop her.” 

“You don’t have to be strong to escape those things. You just have to be careful.”

Melody hugged the wall as she moved, shoes held in one hand to stay as silent as she could. She needed to go as fast as she could but if she got caught because she rushed it would all be over. The first couple of floors were empty but as she got to the bottom of the next staircase she saw one of the cleaners. It was sniffing the air. The cleaners minds were strange, even for an alien. She could barely read them with how chaotic their brainwaves were, a mess of hazy directions and scents mixed with a constant anxiety. For as awful as they looked it was if they were trying to defend themselves from invaders they couldn’t even begin to understand. She shook off the feelings and crept down the next flight of stairs. Just three more and then she could get outside. She stopped about half way as she heard another one climbing up towards her. It hadn’t noticed her yet so she backed up. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, she needed to get past and didn’t have time to wait. As long as she was silent she could creep past without being spotted, hopefully. The one on the steps would be easier to get past so she flattened herself against the stairwell wall. It felt like it was taking hours to get close as the stench of old, long rotten, blood got stronger and stronger. Her eyes began to water and she clenched her fists, trying to stay completely silent. It stomped up the stairs and stopped, inches from her, raising its head into the air and sniffing loudly. She held her breath, her heart pounding in her head. After an eternity of waiting it began ascending the next flight. She slowly made her way down and away from the creature, letting herself breathe again. The next flight was clear but the one after had one of the beasts standing guard on it. Rushing down the hall she found the same situation at the other side of the building. She swore internally and began checking the apartment doors. One had been left unlocked. Inside was a nicely decorated flat with all the signs of a family living there. Across the room was a large window, overlooking a patch of grass that was still damp from the rain the night before. If she couldn’t get down via the stairs she’d go a more direct rout. The window slid open and she clambered over the safety railing. It was a single story drop. Not far. Granted it didn’t feel like a short distance but every minute wasted was a minute closer to Owen dying. Not on her watch. Tosh took a concussion for her, she could handle being a bit bruised for Owen. She let herself fall, rolling as she hit the soft grass. No time to rest or collect herself, she headed to the carpark. The SUV. Perfect. 

Ianto had spent the last five minutes discouraging the tenants from going back inside the building but they weren’t listening. Jack wasn’t answering on comms which was never a good thing. 

“Gwen, what’s going on in there? The residents are close to rioting.” He said, returning to the SUV for a moment so he could speak freely.

“We’re up on the roof. Look up.” 

He looked to the roof and saw Gwen waving at him. “Wonderful, should I ask why?”

“Tosh is working out how to fix some kind of dimensional thingie.” 

“Dimensional slip.” Tosh clarified. 

“That. I could pull the fire alarm again.”

“I don’t think they’ll accept it but you can try.”

“Ianto.”

“That’s my name.”

“Cheeky sod, why’s the boot open?”

“What?” He turned and saw that the boot was open. Reaching up to close it he saw One of Owens medical kits fade from existence right in front of his eyes. “What just…?”

Melodys voice slipped into his mind. “It’s me… Need to get this to Owen.”

“Wait. Are you invisible?”

“Displaced… Parallel world… Can’t stop.” 

As fast as she’d arrived she was gone. 

“What’s going on down there?” Asked Gwen, watching Ianto talk to himself as if someone was standing right next to him.

“Melody. She said something about a parallel world. I think she’s stuck on the other side.”

“That could be why I can’t get in contact with Jack or Owen either. They went to get her.”

“We need to get them back.”

Tosh cut in. “If I can unify the two dimensions they’ll come back too. I need something that I can use to align them.”

“Won’t the building do?”

“No, it’s too big. I need something smaller.”

“What about the lift? It runs through the centre.”

“I’ll try. We’ll be right back down. I need a few things for this that I don’t have on hand.”

“I’ll be waiting.” 

Jack ascended the steps from the basement, finding the door chained shut from the outside. This wasn’t what he needed at this exact moment. The only other way up was the lift shaft. He carefully moved around to the ladder and began the climb. He peeked through a gap between the ground floor doors and spotted the two beasts standing guard. He wasn’t dealing with them again if he could help it. The next floor looked to be clear so he clambered out of the lift. He hoped Owen had found Melody, or at least a safe place for now. He’d even take them finding a way to kill off one of the creatures. Going on what he’d heard from the recording he decided the roof would be a good place to see if there was anything left of this heart device. It was a long shot but worth a try. 

Mel circled around to the side of the building. She knew walking in the front door wasn’t viable but maybe there was a window she could climb through. No such luck. She knew there was a fire door connected to an alarm, it wouldn’t be safe to use to get in but it could cause enough of a distraction for her to get past the guards. Pulling on it didn’t do much. She frowned deeply, the heavy bag already threatening to pull her down. She didn’t know how Owen managed it. The thing felt like it weighed a tonne. That was it, the answer of how to get the door open. It just needed a little more force. She held onto the outer bar and wrenched back on it, using the combined weight of herself and the bag on her back. After a few jolts it broke open, the alarm screeching. She scrambled away and around to the front of the building, her lungs burning and legs already feeling a bit weak. No time to think on it, she pressed the numbers on the keypad and pushed through the door as soon as the lock clicked open. She clambered up the stairs on all fours, pulling herself up the last few. The first floor hallway was calm and thankfully void of all life. She paused just to get a few gulps of oxygen before attempting the next flight. It wasn’t getting any easier and she honestly started to consider if she’d actually make it, or be helpful if she did. Halfway up the next set of steps she heard the heavy footsteps and muffled growling of a cleaner walking towards her. She slid down the stairs and back to the hallway, spotting another one of the creatures lurching towards her. Trapped, she started trying the doors. Each one seeming to be locked. If she could get to the other end of the hallway she could get into her own flat but there was a large and violent chunk of spike laden death between her and the door. Digging in her pockets she grabbed a couple of coins and threw them at the opposing wall. The sound attracted the creatures attention, both growling angrily. She pressed herself against the wall to let them pass as much as she could with the large bag on her back. Both creatures charged and slammed into each other. In the confusion she slipped past and straight down to her front door. Inside her flat she collapsed down on the floor, her fear only making her feel even worse. She needed to calm down. Clear her mind. She took her phone and began a new text message.   
_ Hi Persephone. I’m dealing with a lot right now but after it’s sorted if you want to go for a coffee and catch up I’d be happy to. One of the weekends maybe. I hope you’re ok. Melody. _   
It wouldn’t send unless she got back to her own world but it made her feel better just to write. One last go at smoothing things over with her sisters if she survived this. Calm enough to move she got to her feet and listened at the door. The growling had stopped. She carefully opened the door to find the hallway empty. Three more floors, just three more floors. She began the climb using the railing to help stay upright with the weight on her back. At the top of the third staircase her legs felt like jelly, pins and needles running up and down them as she practically crawled across the landing. At the end of the hall a cleaner sniffed. One last push to the door. One last sprint on numb legs, mouth tasting like copper, back screaming from the strain. She set off, willing herself forwards. It spotted her and began its charge but she was already at the door, hand clasped around the handle. She practically tumbled into the flat, the bag pinning her to the floor. 

“Bloody hell!” Ben exclaimed, pulling the bag off her. “You made it.”

She coughed and wheezed. “Owen… Need to…” She took the bag and opened it, pulling out a case. 

Ben watched as she worked, hands shaking, desperate to save her friend. Owen was unconscious and breathing shallowly but still alive. 

Tosh typed furiously at the keyboard set into the SUV, linking back to the system at the hub, as Ianto and Gwen were trying to keep the tenants from just marching back into the building. Up on the roof above a shadow moved, catching one of the residents attention. She pointed up and gasped, sure someone was about to jump. The two Torchwood agents rolled with it and hinted that the whole reason for them to be out of the building was to keep them from seeing anything if the figure jumped. They quickly decided that a quick walk to the local chip shop was better than seeing someone die. 

“I should have said that before.” Ianto sighed, watching the residents walk away. 

Gwen shrugged, her attention drawn to the figure above them. “More importantly, who’s that?” 

“And how did we miss them?” 

They watched as the figure climbed up onto the railing and balanced on it. They both gasped as the figure dropped, something huge throwing itself over the side. 

Jack had just made it up to the roof when he found himself face to mask with one of the creatures.

“Easy there big guy.” He said, backing up. 

The cleaner tilted its head, its low growl becoming more and more agitated. It lowered its head to charge as he dodged to the left, letting it run into the railing. Even if bullets wouldn’t put the thing down, maybe a long fall would. He moved to the other end of the rooftop.

“If you want to throw me down the lift again you’re going to have to catch me first.”

It turned and huffed like an angry bull.

Carefully he climbed onto the top of the railing. “Well? Here I am. Come and get me!” 

It thundered towards him, leaping to try and grab him as he let himself slip down, catching the railing at the last moment. He looked down as the cleaner flailed and finally hit the floor with a heavy thud. 

“Sorry big guy. Maybe next time.” He smirked, pulling himself back over the railing and onto the rooftop. 

The large shape hit the concrete with a loud thud but what was left after it landed looked a lot like a model of a heart. Ianto approached it, pulling on his gloves before he picked it up. Instantly the world shifted and he was standing above a mess of tar, rusted metal and what may have been flesh. He almost dropped it but elected to just place it down. As if it had never existed the mess was gone, leaving only the strange heart like shape. 

Gwen gasped. “What just happened? You disappeared.”

“I think the answer as to what’s causing all this fell from the sky.”

  
  



	4. Forth floor

As Owen came round he could hear a hissing sound and felt something over his face. He could move his arms again, if a little stiffly. Reaching up he felt an oxygen mask and decided not to take it off, even if part of him really wanted to. As his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness he saw his backpack sitting in the middle of the living room, the poisons kit case placed neatly next to it and a bag containing anything that could be considered a biohazard tied and ready to be disposed of. He sat bolt upright as he remembered everything that had happened, falling back onto his elbows as his body decided he was trying to move much too quickly. 

“Woah, easy there mate.” Ben said, rushing over. “Don’t move yet.”

“Melody. Where is she?” 

He gestured to the armchair where she was sat, arms crossed, clearly asleep. 

“How long’s it been?”

“Since she got back? About twenty minutes. It was a close call there.”

Settling back on the cushion behind his head he could feel how tired the muscles around his chest were.

“She even insisted on sorting your arm. I was sure she was going to pass out but she just kept on going until you started improving. She’s only on the chair because I moved her from sleeping on the floor.” He smiled sadly. “Reminds me of my wife. Always making sure everyone else is ok even if she could barely move.” 

“You lost her here.”

“Yea. It wasn’t even the cleaners. She was diabetic and ran out of medication. This world doesn’t reach beyond the carpark so there was nothing we could do. I tried so hard to make sure she had the right food and she tested herself regularly but eventually we ran out of both the insulin and emergency glucose… It was six months after we arrived here, back when I still kept track of the days, and food had pretty much run out...” He closed his eyes and turned away, busying himself with checking the door. “She went in her sleep… I say sleep…”

“Hypoglycemia.”

He nodded. “I buried her outside. Couldn’t stand to have the cleaners take her away to god only knows where.” 

“I’m sorry.” There wasn’t anything else he could say. He’d been there, watching someone you love dying, unable to really do anything no matter how hard you tried. Katie had always been so good with people, spoke so freely with them. He’d never quite managed it. He was better than he had been but it was just unnatural to him. If you talked to someone too long they could start reading you and that led to emotional issues he’d rather ignore. 

Ben swallowed down his feelings. “Anyway, as much as I don’t want to be a pessimist I don’t know if you’ll be finding your way back to the real world. Once you’re both a bit more conscious we should go through how everything works here. Sleep arrangements and such.”

“Don’t give up yet. Smarter people than me are working on it. Well, at least one person smarter than me.” 

Tosh had the heart wired up, her eyes sparkling the way they did when she’d been given something particularly interesting. 

“This is a direct link to the pocket dimension. With this I can unify the dimensions.” She enthused. 

Gwen leaned on the side of the SUV. “What happens to anyone on the other side when you do?”

“That’s the best part. With this I can make it so anything, or anyone, that originated here in this world will return to this world. And conversely, anything that’s here that should be in the pocket dimension will revert to it. After that the pocket dimension won’t have enough to hold itself together so it’ll simply cease to exist. I’m not sure how it was created but it was solidified by someone finding a way to interact with it, linking the two.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Asked Ianto from the drivers seat.

“Ianto… It’s me working. It won’t take long.”

“My apologies. I should never have doubted the skills of the great Toshiko Sato.” He smiled.

She chuckled to herself as she continued her work. 

Gwen crossed her arms. “So what did Mel take from the boot earlier?”

“Owens large medical bag.” He replied.

“I’m surprised she could lift the thing, let alone carry it. It weighs about as much as she does.”

“She’s stronger than she looks.”

“Even so. I wonder why Owen needed it and didn’t fetch it himself.” 

“I’m sure she offered. She does it all the time.”

“Yea, but Owen knows there are things there’s no way she can do.”

“Don’t coddle her. She hates it.”

Tosh glanced between them. “After this is over someone needs to explain what’s been going on today. It’s like you’re all talking in code.”

“No, if we were talking in code you would have deciphered it by now.” 

Jack hadn’t found anything on the roof so he decided it was time to regroup. As comms were down he had to do it the old fashioned way. Start from the top, try the doors, don’t get caught by the creatures until he found his staff. The top floor was quiet as he’d dispatched its guard from a great height. Checking the doors on the next floor down he found one unlocked. Looking inside he saw movement from the kitchen.

“Hello?”

A very confused looking man, likely in his late teens, rounded the corner. “What?... Who are you? How did you get here?” 

“Captain Jack Harkness, nice to meet you.”

“Holy crap, are you here to rescue us? Is it over?” The mans eyes lit up with hope. 

“That’s the plan but first there are a couple of people I need to find.”

“You’re the only new person I’ve seen, but Ben’s still out and I’m sure I heard voices on the floor below us. I thought he’d lost it but if there are other people here it could be them.”

Jack smiled brightly. “Thanks. Stay here for now. I’ll be back once I meet up with the rest of my team.”

“We should go with you.”

“You’re safer here. I promise I won’t abandon you here.” 

The sound of a small child snuffling pulled both of their attentions. “Hi Carla. Did you have a bad dream?” The man crouched down and picked the toddler up. The girl rubbed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder. “You still sleepy, eh?”

Jack felt his heart jump into his throat at the idea of this child, who couldn’t have been more than three being raised in this situation. “Have you been taking care of her this whole time?” 

“Since her mum got caught by the cleaners, yea.”

“Cleaners?”

“The monsters in the halls. Look, even if you don’t come back for me, at least try and get her out of this hell hole.”

“I promise.” He assured them. “Just hold tight until I do.” He turned back into the hallway and headed to the stairs, hoping that the voices really had been from Owen or Melody. As he reached the next landing he saw one of the cleaners disappear around the corner at the other end of the hall. A close call. He’d like it if he never saw one of those things ever again. Testing each door he found an open one and let himself inside. Owen was just packing up his kit, feeling like he could move freely again. 

“You look like you’ve been having a similar day to me.” The captain said, relieved to see his friend still in one piece. 

Owen stood back from his bag. “I’ve never been happier to see you Harkness. Could have done with you here half an hour ago though. You know those spikes the cleaners shoot are covered in poison?”

“Sorry, I only came into contact with the spikes on their fists.” He gestured to his destroyed shirt. “How’d you manage to get to the SUV?”

“I didn’t. Mel did.”

“Huh?” He looked at Melody, clothes stained with mud, still asleep in the armchair. “How?”

“I have no bloody idea… Hey, Ben. This is Jack.”

The man with the crowbar tied to his belt nodded a greeting. “Any chance you have a way out of here?”

“Not yet, but I’ve found a few clues as to how it started.” Jack took the dictaphone from his pocket. “Sounds like the old landlord found something he shouldn’t have in someones flat.” 

“I remember him. He went missing the day before we found ourselves here. We thought the cleaners got him or he left before it happened.”

“Do you know who got evicted around that time?”

“Not personally, but I’m pretty sure it was one of the second floor flats. That place was always getting letters and smelled a bit… I dunno… Strange? When I walked past.”

“That gives me something to look into. Anyway, for now we need to get in contact with the others.” He opened his wrist computer to try and recalibrate his communication signal. Ben looked on, slightly confused by how much technology these new people had but a little more hopeful that he’d finally escape. Owen took the pendent, the chain of which he’d wrapped around his wrist, and slipped it off. He gently nudged Melody awake.

“Morning sunshine.” He said softly.

For a moment she looked disorientated before realisation took over. “Owen! You’re ok!” 

“Yea, are you?”

“Me? I’m fine. You were the one on the brink of death.” 

“You’re covered in mud and Ben said you nearly passed out when you got back.”

“I needed to run. I’m fine now though.”

“And the mud?”

“There were two cleaners on the ground floor so I had to jump from the first floor to get outside.”

He let that idea sink in for a moment. “You jumped out of a window.”

“There was no other way down. It wasn’t so bad.”

“You’re stronger than I gave you credit for.”

“I think it was the adrenaline doing all the work, but I’m glad I got back in time. You were turning a bit blue.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time. Here,” he held out the pendant, “I think this is yours.”

She took it and slipped the chain over her head, her arms showing a slight tremor from her over exerting herself. “Thanks.” 

“Oh, and I’m going to use you as an example of why everyone should actually listen to me during my medical course the first time. It’s their own fault they had to take it more than once, and now I have proof.” He smirked, showing that he was feeling much better even if he was still aching. He wasn’t just being friendly, handing the pendant back, he also wanted to check she was ok. The adrenaline had worn off so she should be showing signs of any pain from jumping out of a window, but Mel had a habit of minimising her injuries. Even he had trouble carrying that bag so he knew she’d pushed herself climbing up the stairs, the muscles around her chest restricting her breathing even more than the exertion alone already was. 

She smiled. “Owen… I’m ok. I mean it. I can breathe just fine now and as long as I rest tonight and I’m careful there’s an extremely low chance of pneumonia. Plus I think my blood pressure’s normalised by now.”

“Try and stand up.” He said flatly, as if to make a point. 

“Give me a few more minutes?”

“Yea, I thought so. Just leave the rest of this to us unless absolutely necessary.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Jack finally locked onto a signal. “Can anyone hear me?”

“Faintly, but yes. Are you all alright?” Toshikos voice crackled through the small speaker. 

“Better for hearing you. Any idea of how to get us back?”

“I’m working on it right now. This might feel a little strange.”

The world suddenly felt as if it was shifting around them, just enough to be disorientating. Ben staggered a little, his stomach turning. After a long moment Toshikos voice returned, perfectly clear. 

“Did you make it?”

Ben was on edge as he walked through the entranceway, the other trapped man, Archie, and Carla in tow. She was looking around in wonder at the world beyond the one she knew, eyes wide and arms flailing to point at the sky. 

“We’re really free. It’s over.” Archie laugh sobbed. “You get to see the whole world now kiddo.” 

Ben hung back a little to talk to Owen. “What now? You said we’d been gone for two years.”

“The police’ll want to talk to you. After that, it’s up to you.” The doctor replied.

“How do we even go back to normal life?”

“I could give you the whole it gets better speech, but the truth is there is no going back to what normal was before. You just need to work through it until you can make something new. Those two are going to need you. Anyway, you can tell the police you don’t know and let us cover the details, eh? Concentrate on getting back to living.” 

“Thank you… For everything. And can you tell Melody the same?”

“Course.”

He gave a polite nod and moved to catch up with Archie, leaving Owen to carry his bag back to the SUV. Jack had walked Melody back to her flat and told her to take the next day off to recover after hearing what she’d done. He still needed to talk to her but that could wait until the next day. He’d already planned what to tell the police when it came to the disappearances, able to point to the bones in the basement and the mysterious disappearance of the landlord just prior to the mass ‘kidnapping’. Now there was just the matter of working out who the hearts original owner had been and making sure they didn’t still have a collection.

  
  



	5. Fifth floor

Melody knocked back her second dose of ibuprofen for the day with the last dregs of her orange juice. She’d spent the night before unable to sleep through a heady mix of nightmares and pain that ranged from dull throbbing to an agonising ache that refused to let up. She’d resorted to dozing on the sofa so she could watch the tv as a distraction. Around five in the morning she’d finally dropped into a deep sleep. It was lunch time before she awoke and managed to drag herself to the kitchen for a drink and to the tumble dryer to grab some fresh pyjamas. She’d returned to her sofa nest and changed the channel to try and find something that wasn’t just a trashy talk show. Daytime tv was not to her taste at all. She’d put down her empty glass when there was a soft knock at the door. The few steps to the door felt like an uphill struggle. She opened the door to see Jack standing there with a smile. 

“Hi. Is something wrong?” She asked, leaning on the door. 

He shook his head. “I brought lunch. Can I come in?” He held up a plastic bag containing two boxes.

“Oh, yes, sure, come in. Sorry about the mess.” 

Stepping into the flat he only noticed the empty glass, blister pack of painkillers and the blanket on the sofa. It was hardly in a state to worry about. What hit him more was the sweet perfume in the air, a mix of rose, tangerine and an edge of cinnamon that ended up smelling like a sweet shop. It wasn’t overpowering but it was noticeable. 

“I thought you’d stay away from air fresheners with your lungs weakened.” He said, placing the bag on the table and removing two cans of pop from his pocket. 

She folded the blanket and placed it over the back of the sofa, then sat, curling her feet up. “Air freshener? Oh, the smell.” She gestured to a dish sitting on the windowsill filled with dried orange peels, dried roses and cinnamon sticks. “My nan sent it. Apparently it used to help me sleep as a kid. I unwrapped it last night. It doesn’t bother you does it?”

“Not at all.” He sat in the large armchair and began unpacking the plastic bag that contained two boxes from the local chip shop. 

“Were you worried I wasn’t eating?”

“Did you eat last night?”

“No -”

“This morning?”

“Does juice count?” She gave a tired chuckle. “I suppose you’re right. Thanks.”

“You didn’t sleep.” 

She pulled the box onto her lap, the warmth pleasant and comforting. The sound of her stomach grumbling announced that her appetite had returned. “I tried. It’s only one night, I can catch up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Jack, I’m ok. How’s Owen?”

“Mouthy as ever. He said you did a good job yesterday.” He settled in, casually digging into his meal. “Wouldn’t let us forget that you managed to follow procedure and put everything where it should be. Apparently the last time I touched his kit I made a mess of it.”

“Did you really just visit to bring me lunch? Not that I’m upset or anything, just curious.”

He paused and studied her for a moment. “Yes and no. Ianto wanted me to make sure you were ok about what happened last month.”

“About the kidnapping or about … um…”

“My immortality.”

“Well…” She leant forward and took one of the cans. “I was so relieved at the time… When I saw you fall I…” She took a long sip, hiding behind the can. “I blamed myself. I felt like I should have acted faster but I was so scared. Everyones minds were so chaotic, that other telepath was in my head, Tosh was scared and the door and it was all too much. Those men… I…”

“You defended yourself. Never regret that.”

“I nearly killed them.”

“I know. But you didn’t. You made sure they couldn’t hurt anyone else.”

“I wiped their minds. I destroyed them. Isn’t that worse?” She wrapped both hands around the can and sat it on her lap.

“I’ve seen things a lot worse than that done to people a lot less deserving of it. If you hadn’t neutralised them either Owen or Gwen would have. You don’t have to shoulder any guilt.”

She glanced up, not enough to make eye contact but enough to study his expression. “How old are you?”

“A lot older than I look.”

“Please just give me a straight answer.”

“I’ve seen a couple of centuries give or take.”

“That why you haven’t changed since the first time I met you. Is it why your mind’s always silent?”

“No. That’s something I learned before I became what I am now.”

“But you’re definitely alive. Like, you’re not undead.”

“For all intents and purposes I’m one hundred per cent a living human being. Granted a human from the fifty first century but still human.”

“Fifty first century?”

“I was a time traveller. Explored planets, made my way across the universe, met the Doctor, became a better person and died. Then a good friend brought me back… It was just a wish really, to bring me back. The wish was granted but…”

“It was a monkeys paw.”

“Kind of, yea. Now every time I die I come back whether I want to or not.” 

“That must be so lonely.”

He sighed. “Most people see it as a super power, but it scares them. Things die. Everything has a beginning and an end. It’s just how the universe works, then there’s me. The exception that proves the rule. I’m… Wrong.”

“You’re different. You’re not wrong. No one has the right to make you feel like that.” She said firmly, as if it had been something she’d been told many times. “And you shouldn’t just run headlong into things just because you know you’ll get up afterwards. You shouldn’t hurt yourself just because you think it doesn’t matter. It matters. Seeing you die was more terrifying than being pinned down and cut open in that ship and having that woman ready to cut my fingers off combined. I’ve been trying to separate my silly, childish, idealised version of you, I held onto for so long, from who you really are. You’re human just like the rest of us, but it’s hard because in a way those lines are blurred. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t let go of the idea for so many years because I needed someone else to be different like me. I was told over and over that there was no other telepath like me. No one to guide me or teach me in a way I could understand. I still don’t know what I’m doing half the time and you’re the same… Aren’t you?”

He tried not to think about it too much but in a way she was right. He put on his hero persona to cover the fact that most of the time he was just as lost as everyone else. He had an edge above others because of years of experience and collected knowledge but that’s all it was, an edge. When she’d looked into his eyes all those years ago that’s what she’d taken. What she understood. Captain Jack Harkness the hero and Captain Jack Harkness the man were two sides of the same coin. “Fake it ‘til you make it I guess.” He said in a voice barely above a whisper. “Listen, I might not be the hero you imagined, but I am your friend. If you ever need me I’ll be here. I’ll always rescue you. I promised you that back then and I promise you that now.”

“And I’ll return the favour.”

“Try not to do it too much. I don’t know how much more your body can take.”

“My body might be trash, but I’m strong willed and as a telepath that’s all I really need to be.” She shrugged, placing the can down on the table.

“You’re more than just your abilities. I mean yesterday you didn’t use your powers once, did you?”

“I couldn’t. Those things were something so different to anything I’ve ever run into. Owen needed my help so that’s what I was going to do. Anyway, you can’t tell me off for overdoing it when you lot do that every day and forget to take care of yourselves in between.”

“It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself when you’re saving the world.”

“Then I can remember for you. When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?”

“Last Tuesday. Ianto didn’t want to order.”

“And before that?”

“When we got locked in the hub.”

“Exactly. Immortal or not you need to eat better.” She pulled the box back onto her lap.

He chuckled warmly. “You’re taking all this pretty well.”

“I can handle strange stuff. It’s the mundane things that stress me out.” He phone buzzed from under the table where she’d dropped it in her half asleep haze earlier. “Speaking of mundane.” She picked up the device and sighed before tossing it aside.

“Please tell me you haven’t got another stalker.”

“Nope. Just a sister that only wants to talk to me when I’m saving her from sleeping on the street. She’s lucky I’m not enough of a cow to reverse the bank transfer.”

“Ahh family drama.”

“You know, when I was running from the cleaners and hiding while my chest stopped acting like I was trying to crush it I reached out to her. I texted her. Then she has the gaul to tell me that we probably shouldn’t meet up because she didn’t want her friends to know about me. Like, she’s told them she only has one sister. How twisted is that?! Sorry, you don’t need to hear about my nonsense.”

“No. I’m interested now. Which sister?”

“Persephone. She’s the one without a kid. She’s all about her image and what her group of friends think. When I came out she pitched a fit because her college friends wouldn’t like it. Like she’s the one who decided to surround herself with judgemental arseholes. Not my fault. Delilah was even worse. She decided I was doing it for attention because I always had to be different. I’d love to be as average as you Del but the universe decided otherwise so go back to hooking up with every boy you come into contact with… I need to stop talking.”

He could hide his laughter. “No, keep going. I like seeing you speak up for yourself. From what I’ve heard about your parents I’m surprised your sisters are like that.”

“They’re just bitter because the super special twins stopped getting all the attention because their baby sister needed a little more care. When I was little I always wanted to play with them or just spend time with them. I thought they were the best but they just saw me as this annoying, creepy, little parasite who heard voices and spied on them. Because of course I had to be spying on them to know their secrets.” She stuffed a few chips in her mouth to stop herself saying anything else. 

“Why bother with them then?”

She swallowed hard. “My mum and dad want us to get along, but after this I don’t think there’s any point in trying. They live in a whole different world to me. Speaking of, did you find out anything on what started that whole mess yesterday?”

“A little. Apparently the other items that were in the flat that the interdimensional heart came from went to landfill so they can’t be recovered. But I think it was only left to get some kind of revenge on the landlord. Tosh is working on finding the tenancy records so we can track them down. They could be a collector, a trader or the alien version of a grave robber. It’s actually the other reason I’m here. The current landlord gave me the keys to the old landlords flat. She’s being extremely cooperative after all of the bones that the police removed from the lift shaft last night were counted. Want to come along?”

“Can we take the lift?”

“Sure.” 

The old landlords flat had been locked since he’d disappeared so everything was covered with a thick layer of dust. It had been a modest place but still nice and had been kept quite tidy. Jack slipped the keys into his pocket as he walked in and gently pulled back the curtains as not to disturb too much of the dust. Melody stepped over to a small side room, guessing it would be an office or storage. The filing cabinet had been left as it contained nothing to say where he’d gone. 

“What floor was it on?” She asked.

“Second.” 

“I found the rent payment records. You could use the account number used to pay the rent to find out who lived there.” She took a manilla folder from the draw and passed it over. 

He took it and flicked through. “Gotta love people who haven’t caught up to the digital age.” 

“It’s good to keep paper copies of things.” She smiled, browsing the photos left on one of the shelves. Smiling faces stared back from the faded images. A key sat at the end of the shelf with a paper tag attached that simply said “2B” in faded black ink. She reached out and took the old key, feeling a jolt through her mind. The scene changed around her and she could clearly hear two men arguing. Turning her gaze she saw both and recognised the old landlord from the photos, the other man was new. He was screaming for the landlord to leave and slammed the door in his face. The door had “2B” etched neatly into it. The scene shifted again as the man inside the flat kicked over a pile of books in a fit of rage. The room was filled with boxes and miscellaneous items. So much so that it was hard to move through the place. He ranted and raved about how the landlord just didn’t understand how important what he was trying to do was. He picked up a phone hidden under a stack of old newspapers and dialled, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end. From what she could tell he was setting up some kind of transport for his belongings. It made sense. Next to where he stood there was a table and a notebook. She couldn’t read what it said but she did recognise a few of the symbols scribbled onto the page. One was a UNIT insignia, one was the logo used by Osiris and another was Torchwoods signature honeycomb T. As the man hung up his call she was snapped back to the real world, Jack hunched over her in concern. He’d caught her as she’d collapsed.

“Mel! Are you back with me? What just happened?”

She blinked a few times, trying to steady her own thoughts. “I… I think I just had a vision.” 

“What?”

“When I touched the key.” She lifted her hand to show the key clasped between her fingers.

“This is new.” He didn’t sound pleased with the idea. 

“I’ve never had a vision while I was awake before.” 

“Trust me, you weren’t exactly awake.” 


	6. Sixth floor

“And why didn’t you bring her back with you?” Owen asked, not hiding his annoyance one bit.

Jack rolled his eyes. “I made sure she got back to her flat. When I left she was perfectly fine and resting on the sofa.”

“No, she looked fine. If this is new then something might have changed. We know how much using her telepathy too much can do, who’s to say this is any different?”

“She’s fine Owen. If you want to go and check on her you can, but she’ll tell you the same thing.”

“Not to get involved with this argument but Melody said her dreams or visions are from someones point of view. That’s just how her ability works, but what you described was a drifting consciousness.” Ianto interjected, rereading the statement Melody had written. 

“It’s a new ability. Things could change from what we know.”

“But what if it isn’t a new ability.”

“Huh?”

Gwens eyes widened as she realised what Ianto was saying. “It was a message. Something left a cry for help. You said this guy had a lot of alien stuff. What if he had a few actual aliens too.”

“It’s not too far of a stretch.”

“They’d have to be small and there might be more than one going by the perspective switch.”

Ianto agreed. “They’d need to have some kind of telepathic ability too. I can see if we have any race like that on record.”

“And I can look at those bank transfer records.” Gwen took the folder that Jack had brought back with him. 

Jack nodded then took the key from his pocket. “Any chance you can find something on this to prove our little theory?” He asked, placing it on Toshikos desk.

“If there’s something there I’ll find it.” Tosh smiled, moving the item she was working on aside. 

Owen had been looking at the scans in front of him for twenty minutes and he couldn’t work out why Melody could do what she did. He hadn’t seen many medical studies of legitimate telepaths as most that had been done weren’t done legally, and their results were destroyed when what happened had been discovered. His reasons were different to theirs. He only wanted to know how her telepathy worked to limit the damage it did to her. The nosebleeds were the tip of the iceberg, he just knew it. Her heart didn’t show any signs of damage yet but she was still young so her body was keeping up, and that was just the long term effects. Her blood pressure after both wide ranging telepathic events was to a point that a myriad of damage could have been caused. Damaged blood vessels, ruptured retinal vessels and even seizures. If he could find a way to stop that increase then he could stop her from irreparably damaging herself. He didn’t want to treat her like a lab rat but if he could just run a few more tests he might be able to really help her. It was worth asking at least, right? How would he even word it?  _ Hi, mind if I sit you down and poke your brain for a couple of hours? _ Maybe it would be better to discuss it in person. That would mean actually discussing it in person though. He’d just have to bite the bullet and do it. These scans weren’t specialised enough to get him anywhere. 

“If you’re worried then just go and see her.” Tosh said as she walked past him. 

Mel had curled back up on the sofa with her laptop open on the table in front of her. She’d decided to answer the group call her friends had set up for the first time in a while. It was nice to catch up.

“How about next month? You can show us around.” Simon suggested enthusiastically.

She sighed. “You’re not going to let this go are you?”

“Not a chance. Come on, it’s been ages since we saw you and you could meet Heather face to face.”

The group chuckled like children and one voice slipped through the noise. “Guys be nice.” Heather said, her smile audible. 

“Well, maybe. But you all know I live in a one bedroom flat. If you want to stay over you’ll need to bring camp beds and stuff.” 

“We’ll work something out.” Mark clarified. “I can drive most of us. What’s the parking like?”

“There’s plenty of parking.” She jumped lightly as the door buzzer went. “One sec guys.” She walked over to the intercom. “Hello?”

Owen replied. “It’s me. Mind if I come up for a word?”

“I don’t mind. Come on up.” She pressed the button to unlock the doors downstairs. Returning to the sofa she unmuted the call. “Gotta go guys. I’ve got visitors.”

There was a very loud group goodbye before she hung up the skype call. She had to admit she really did miss her old group of friends and the idea of meeting Heather face to face was exciting. They’d been chatting online for a while and she had really started to like this woman. A knock on the door pulled her attention from the computer. 

“Sorry if Jack sent you. I’m fine, honest.” She said softly. 

Owen waved her off. “Naa, he didn’t send me. I just wanted to talk to you about something and it didn’t seem right over the phone.”

“Oh? Is it something serious?” She moved aside so he could enter and closed the door behind him. “Is everyone ok?”

He sat down. “Yea. Everyone’s fine. I’m more worried about the blood pressure issue you have when you use your telepathy.”

“Oh, is that all? You didn’t need to come all this way for that. I’m ok. It only happens when I push myself too hard.”

“Just sit down. Please.”

She studied his face, deep concern etched into his features. She sunk into the sofa. 

“This isn’t something I can just ignore. You could have gone blind and at worst you could have died. The level of stress put on your circulatory system is horrific.”

“Owen-”

“If I can just work out why it does that then maybe I can find a way of limiting the damage.”

“You don’t need to go out of your way to do that. You don’t owe me for yesterday.”

“This isn’t about yesterday. This is me not wanting to walk in and find you on my table. I’m not going to treat you like a lab rat and you’re welcome to tell me to sod off but… Just a few tests and maybe there’ll be something I can do.”

“Ok.”

He stared for a moment, not expecting her to actually consent to any tests. “Right… urm…”

“What?”

“I had a whole argument prepared and…”

“I mean go ahead if you really want to.”

“Naa, this is easier. Are you sure though?”

“I know you’re not going to do anything nasty to me Owen. I just didn’t want to waste your time. If you think it’ll be worthwhile then I’m on board.” 

“As long as nothing major happens, and as long as you feel up to it we can start tomorrow.” 

“Works for me. If it helps I know there were many different kinds of psychics at Torchwood one. Maybe there are some files left over from there. It was one of them that told me about our shortened lifespans.”

“What?”

“Yea. Telepaths especially tend to have shorter lifespans. Whether it’s a telepathic blowout that destroys their mind, heart issues like you said, or unfortunately suicide. Each mind you dip into leaves a little of itself behind and if you’re not careful, over the years, those bits build up and leave you barely knowing who you are anymore. It’s sad really.” 

He looked down at the floor. “Christ… Why keep doing it? Why not see if it can be switched off?”

“Because it can be used to help people. Plus, I’m not going to live to retirement age anyway.”

“The lung damage shouldn’t sho-”

“Owen. It’s not about my physical health. I’m an alien activity magnet. All it takes is me drawing the attention of the wrong being and it’s over. In a way I’ve gotten lucky so far but eventually that’s going to run out. Maybe that’s why I moved here in the first place. Part of me hopes that a rift in space and time can draw attention away from me. I don’t know why it happens, or how it happens, I just know the effect.” She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I’ve been living on borrowed time since the day I was born.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true. Mel, you’ve just been unlucky. That’s all.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but how much bad luck can one person have in their life before there has to be some underlying force behind it?”

“Listen, sometimes the universe is just shit. It screws you over and just moves on as if it didn’t just destroy your life. It isn’t planned or directed, it just happens.”

“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

“Oi. No turning this around on me.” 

She chuckled. “It wasn’t intentional. Anyway, you don’t need my self pitying nonsense. I should appreciate all the time I have.”

Gwen had collected a set of names used to pay rent on the flat the heart had come from. The renter had used a couple of stolen accounts that she could cross off the list of suspects. The name that had actually caught her eye had brought a file link with it. A case from six years previous that had ended after all the suspects had completely vanished. Apparently they hadn’t vanished as completely as they thought. She found a recent address through the banks records. She waved Jack over to look at what she’d found. He frowned deeply.

“Phillip Bell. We’d hoped he’d left the country.” He sounded annoyed. 

She glanced up at him. “That sounds personal.”

“He was one of the scavengers that got in the way of the cleanup from Canary wharf. Little parasite got in and out without setting off what was left of the security system. The only reason I know it was him was I saw the tattoo on his arm as he jumped into his getaway car. It didn’t get recorded because one of our staff at the time had a stick up her ass about solid proof.” 

“Well, you might get another chance to catch him. Bit of a ballsy move to stay this close for so long.”

“He’s an opportunist, not smart.” 

“So are we going to go and talk to him or are we going in to take whatever’s left of his collection.”

“I’m not letting him get away again, but I want to make sure he’s definitely there. Tosh, can you do your magic with just a name and address to work with?”

Tosh looked over. “I can have his life story by six, seven if he knows how to cover his tracks.” 

“I always know I can always rely on you.” He grinned brightly. 

Jack sat silently watching the small house. Tosh had confirmed that Mr Bell was indeed living there and, if the moving vans he’d hired the year before were anything to go by, still had his ill gotten collection. From the street the mans hoarding habit was clearly visible, towers of junk piled next to the windows. The rooms too messy to close the curtains without climbing equipment. It wasn’t going to be easy sorting through it all but it gave Phillip less ways to escape. An easy operation as long as he wasn’t armed. If Mel hadn’t literally passed out in front of him he’d ask her to help out with it. Knock old Phil out before he had a chance to do anything. No, that was too risky. It would have to be an old fashioned operation and this time he wouldn’t be letting the grave robbing bastard escape. 


	7. Seventh floor

Melody jolted awake from one of her usual nightmares. It was only five minutes until her alarm was set to wake her up anyway so she dragged herself out of bed, her heart slowing from its terrified staccato to a more normal rate as she headed to the bathroom. Her morning ritual played out as it did every morning: Shower, breakfast, dry hair, get dressed, do hand and arm exercises with the hopes of getting full control of her left hand back, shoes on, walk to work. The slightly early wake up was useful as she was still a bit sore, so the walk had to be taken at a slower speed. Her playlist was not made for a slower pace but she did her best not to overexert herself, especially if Owen wanted to run whatever tests he thought were necessary. Thunder rumbled overhead, warning of a storm rolling in. Not what she needed at that moment. She’d just made it into the office as the heavens opened, the rain beating down onto the city. Ianto looked up from his chair behind the tourist information desk and smiled welcomingly over the rim of his coffee mug.

“Morning. How are you feeling?” He asked.

She slid her bag off her shoulder. “A bit sore but otherwise I’m just fine. Did I miss anything important?” 

“Other than finding the previous owner of the heart, no. We’re going to raid his place today.” 

“He’s still living in Wales?”

“Even better, he’s still living in Cardiff.”

“That’s either very arrogant or very stupid.”

“It’s both. Oh, and Owen said he wanted to talk to you and Jack about yesterday? He didn’t give me any details.” He was subtly digging for details. Or it would have been subtle to anyone who didn’t know him. 

Mel chuckled. “He just wants to run a few tests to see if he can fix my blood pressure when I’m using my telepathy, that’s all. It’s not a big deal.” 

“Jack isn’t going to like that.” He frowned deeply, placing his mug down on the desk.

“Why?”

“He hears tests and immediately thinks of the worst. He has a history with that word.”

“Oh… I should probably go and diffuse that.”

“Need some backup?” 

She nodded. “Please. I really hope this doesn’t end in an argument.” 

Jack raised an eyebrow as Owen walked into his office with Melody in tow. Ianto hung back just in case he was needed. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” The captain asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

Owen decided to answer. “Depending on when we go and collect that blokes little collection either now or later I’m going to run a few tests to see if I can work out why Mels body goes into overdrive, and tries to make her heart explode, every time she starts reading too many thoughts at once. To do that I need a mind she can’t read so easily and you’re the only one who even comes close.” 

“Owen, no. That’s not happening.”

“Why not? It’s for her own health.”

Melody glanced between them. “Jack, it’s ok. Owen asked permission and honestly I kind of want to know too. If we can stop the headaches, the nosebleeds and the nausea I’m happy to take part in a few scans or whatever.” 

“If you’re worried about what I’m going to be doing I can talk you through it.”

“This is a slippery slope… But if you’ve already got this all planned out then I guess there’s no way around it. I’ll supervise and if this starts going too far then I will pull rank.” 

“It’s almost like you don’t trust me.”

“I trust you but I’ve seen this kind of thing go badly.”

Mel took a step out and gave Ianto the thumbs up to say he didn’t need to jump in. 

“But it’ll have to wait until later” He stood and moved around his desk. “We have a grave robber to deal with.” 

Phillip drank the dregs of his whisky glass from the night before before dropping it into the over full sink. He’d spent so long immersed in his mission to find out all of these organisations darkest secrets. He’d seen some of what Torchwood had been hiding and he’d sold a few things to Osiris over the years but UNIT was still just out of his reach. Their bases were too well guarded. It had been luck that he’d managed to get access to Torchwoods base in London which had put a target on his back. The heart had been useful for a quick escape in the past but when he was being evicted he decided to leave it and hopefully trap the landlord in with the creatures that lived between worlds. If the news was anything to go by it had worked better than expected. Shame about the collateral damage but it couldn’t be helped. He dug through the fridge and took out a pack of sliced ham, ripping up a slice into smaller pieces and dropping them into two small cages containing a pair of alien creatures. They dug into their meagre meal with enthusiasm, ripping at the pieces with their tiny hands.

The sound of something hitting his door pulled his attention away from the furry creatures. He was going to see what it was until the door was suddenly smashed off its hinges and he found himself looking down the barrel of a vintage looking gun. His hands shot into the air reflexively. 

“Nowhere to run this time.” Jack said coldly.

Phillip glared, only steps away from a myriad of items he could use to defend himself. “Let me guess, Torchwood?”

“We were always going to catch up with you eventually.” 

“For what? Looking for the truth? I saw what you monsters had down in London. What you turned those people in to.”

Jack roughly cuffed the mans arms behind his back. “For someone who wants the truth you’re not great at connecting the dots. Those weren’t humans in London.”

“Not anymore they weren’t. Poor bastards couldn’t even talk.”

“They were never human. They were aliens.”

“And the robots?”

“There were no cybermen left. I checked, personally!”

“Dr Franklin would beg to differ.”

“What?” 

He laughed. “Oh, now you’re interested? Have a look in the cellar.” 

Jack handed him over to Owen and Gwen who escorted him to the back of the SUV less than gently. The captain was about to look for the cellar door in the rubbish pile that the house was when he spotted the cage with the two creatures holding onto the bars. He bent down and grabbed the cage, picking it up and placing it on the only clear space he could find on the work surface. He recognised these creatures from his childhood. The two in the cage were skinny and needed access to some water but they were still friendly. He opened the fridge and took out whatever meat he could find, offering pieces to the animals. Tosh smiled softly as she spotted him. 

“You’ve made some friends.” She said cheerily. 

Jack beckoned her over. “These little guys are red lake fishers. They’re like otters.”

“You’ve found them before?”

“I grew up learning about them.”

“They’re from the fifty first century?”

“Yea. They’re native to the Boshane peninsula. I think they’re what left the S.O.S.”

She took a closer look and the red one sniffed the air and trilled at her. “They’re telepathic?”

“It’s how they communicate underwater. There was a village I visited once that was right by the water and these were everywhere. People kept them as pets.” A warm nostalgia washed over him as he opened the cage and the orange one cautiously made its way out and climbed up his arm and onto his shoulder. “They were always kept as pairs. They mate for life and you can’t separate them.”

“Like Syn and Tax.” She petted the soft fur of the red fisher as it cuddled up under her hand. 

“Exactly. I never thought I’d see one again.”

The sadness in his words struck her. He was impossibly far from home so such an encounter was a comfort, but also a reminder of the distance. “Why don’t you talk about your old home more?”

“Sometimes I miss it too much. Other times… It just brings back painful memories.” He picked up the red fisher gently and placed it on his shoulder with its partner. The furry creatures bumped their foreheads together in a kind of greeting before trying to make their way into his coat. He chuckled warmly, catching them before they disappeared. “Easy there you two. Let’s get you somewhere safe while we clear this place. I’m sure Ianto would be happy to set up a habitat for you that isn’t in my sleeve.” He placed the rest of the meat in the cage for them to eat while they were waiting. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to trap you in here for long.” The red lake fishers both climbed into the cage to finish their meal. He picked up the cage and took it outside to the SUV where it would be safe. Phillip had tried to make a run for it so Gwen was sat on his back.

She grumbled as she pulled him up. “I’ve been doing this for years, you’re not going to just run off.” 

“If he’s too much of an issue put him in the weevil cage.” 

“Can’t we take him back to the hub?”

“Not if he’s got something dangerous hidden in the cellar.” 

“Fine.” She gestured for Owen to give her a hand wrestling the man into the weevil cage so he had no chance of escape. He could protest and thrash all he wanted in there. As soon as Phillip was secured Owen stepped back. 

“What’s with the technicolor ferrets?” The doctor asked, pointing at the cage. 

Jack held it up. “They’re red lake fishers and they’re going to need a new home.” He placed it into a safe position. “Now, I have no idea what we’ll be walking into down in the cellar. He mentioned cybermen and as much as I’m hoping he was mistaken I can’t rule out the possibility that he has a few parts hidden down there. Also, Ianto, he gave me a name that I’m sure I’ve heard before. A Dr Franklin. Is he in our records.” 

Ianto climbed out of the SUV looking pale. “Yes.”

“Aaand…”

“And he was one of the top scientists in research and development at Torchwood one. He was registered as one of the dead.” 

The cellar was as cramped as the rest of the house but unlike the rest of the house it was filled with wires. A soft blue glow was visible from behind a large stack of boxes. Jack stepped carefully around the assorted piles of items and saw something that simultaneously made his heart jump into his throat and gave him a deep feeling of confusion. A cybermans head sat on a desk, wired up and held in place with a set of clamps. 

“Dr Franklin?” He breathed, expecting a broken ‘delete’ at most. 

The heads eyes lit up. “Hello? My god, is that Jack Harkness?” It said in a voice Jack recognised. He’d met the doctor once, an eccentric and pleasant man who had a handlebar moustache that was his pride and joy. 

“How?” 

“Am I still here? Well, you see the emotional dampeners are in a cybermans body, I believe, and as you can see I’m without such a thing. I think the whole conversion process was a bit of a botch job so here I am. A brain in a can.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d been left like this.” He said sympathetically. 

“Don’t worry about that, my boy. I’m just happy to hear a voice other than that complete bore I’ve been stuck with. A conversation with that man could drive a head to drink, if a head could of course.”

“You’re surprisingly positive.” 

“I spent a long time alone with my thoughts and decided that I’d go quite mad if I dwelled upon it for too long. That said I suppose I could be considered quite mad now. Tell me, did Vonny survive?”

“Yvonne? No, I’m sorry.”

“Ahh, such a shame. I’ll miss that firebrand. What about that nice PA of hers?”

“Her assistant? I don’t know.”

“What was his name again? … He was Welsh. A young lad. Always very well dressed. Had a lovely girlfriend, suited each other. Jones was his last name I think, not that it narrows the last down too much.”

His eyes widened. “Ianto?”

“Yes! That was it. Ianto Jones. I would have bet my left arm on him taking over after Vonny.”

“You must be misremembering. Ianto was a junior researcher.”

“Oh…. Oh dear…. I think I’ve said too much.”

“Theo, what are you talking about?” His concern was clear on his face. 

“Vonny… Yvonne wanted to make sure her personal assistant was perfect for the job… She found that young man and… Well, he needed some guidance and training but… He had a lot of fire in him too and she was worried that they’d butt heads. She had this idea about psychological conditioning. It all sounded a bit too much like MK Ultra nonsense for me but… I mean if it worked… I assume he’s still alive by the look on your face. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken that I believe I’ve forgotten how to stop.” 

Jack pulled a box over and sat, letting what he’d just been told sink in. Had Yvonne really done that, or was Dr Franklins mind so scrambled that he was confused with a different project. He’d need to talk to Ianto about it, but for now he had to work out how to deal with the cybernised scientist. 


	8. Eighth floor

Owen checked noone was visiting the tourist information centre before opening the hidden door, making Melody jump a little. 

She turned from the computer. “Hi. How did it go?” 

“Well, the arsehole’s sitting in a cell now and noone’s dead so that’s a plus.” He shrugged. “Jack and Tosh are still at the place working on whatever’s in the cellar, and Gwen and Ianto are going back to start collecting whatever looks alien so it’s just you and me.”

“Oh, ok. Will you be able to do what you need to without Jack for me to read?”

“I can do plenty if you’re still up for it.”

“Sure. I’ve just finished this finance report anyway.” She pushed herself away from the desk and walked around it to the door, flipping a small sign to say closed and locking up. She followed Owen down through the hidden door and to the Med bay where the fishers were napping in their temporary cage. “Who are these little guys?” She asked, her face lighting up. 

“We found them at the house. They need fattening up and a better place to live.”

“Oh I can start a list of things we need for that.” She took her PDA from her pocket, a pink case and stylus showing that it was indeed hers. “What kind of habitat do they need?”

“Apparently they’re a bit like sea otters but they live in lakes and rivers. You’ll need a shit tonne of sand, some plants, rocks, a tank for them to swim in… um… Other than that I don’t know.”

She wrote a list swiftly and leaned down to get a closer look at the creatures. “Anything you two can think of?” A couple of images flicked through her mind of rootlike structures woven into a nest and a stone warming in the sun. “So you need a heat lamp and nesting material too.”

“Ok snow white, you can play with the ferrets later.” He said with a smirk. 

She tucked her PDA back into her pocket with a smile. “So, what have you got planned for me?” 

“First I need some baseline readings, so a quick blood test, brain scan, blood pressure test. The usual.” He washed his hands and pulled on a pair of gloves. “Then I’ll do the same when you’re reading someones mind.”

“Whos?” 

“Being as Jack’s busy I thought you could practice on the bloke we have in the cells. We need to know what he’s been up to, and if he’s got stuff stored elsewhere, anyway.” 

She suddenly looked very uncomfortable. “You know that’s kind of ethically iffy.”

“You hear thoughts all the time.”

“Yes, but that’s surface stuff. Going further without consent is… Well, it’s a bit…”

He sat next to her. “Ok. I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to. I just thought it was an option.” 

“Really?” She asked, rubbing her pendant between her fingers. “Sorry. I just… It’s a bit..”

“You don’t have to explain yourself. If you’re not comfortable, you’re not comfortable. End of. We can find another way. Maybe I can snag Ianto for a bit when he drops off the next lot of junk.” 

“Thanks. Sorry, I’m making this difficult aren’t I.”

“Naa. You’re just being careful.” He smiled comfortingly. “We can still get those baseline readings.”

Jack had managed to untangle most of the wires and work out where they all went with the help of Dr Franklin. 

“I don’t know how we’re going to transport you.” Jack said, pushing another box out of the way to see where one of the cables had been wired in. “I might have to get Tosh to give me a hand down here.”

“As much as I appreciate your concern, dear boy, I am essentially a brain in a can. A change of scenery isn’t my highest priority. I’m surprised you haven’t unplugged me already.”

“If you were a threat I might have but, like you said, you’re a brain in a can.”

“A cyberman made can.”

“True.” He sighed. “But we can’t just leave you here.”

“What makes you think I’m not some kind of well programmed fake that’ll try and spread as soon as I’m plugged into anything other than the mains?”

“Theo, are you trying to get me to kill you?”

“You’re being reckless.”

“We have ways of testing if you’re you or not. Torchwood’s changed since you were there.”

“For the better?”

“Yes!” 

There was a long silence before Dr Franklin spoke again. “Jack… I don’t want to live like this. I begged Phillip for months to just unplug me but he refused. He wanted all the information I had about Torchwood. I didn’t tell him anything useful but he was getting close to working out where Torchwood three was hidden, not that it matters now, but he promised to let me die if I told him. I considered it.”

“Theo…” He sat next to the table. “I’m sorry.”

“Jack. Can you do me one last kindness? I know it’s a lot to ask but… I should have died with the rest of the robot bastards… It’s funny, my wife always said I was a crybaby and now I can’t even cry.”

He bit back his feelings and picked up the main power line. “How long have you got after I unplug this?”

“Without a generator? One minute conscious, three unconscious… Then it’ll be over.”

“Would you like to see outside one more time?”

“That would be wonderful… Thank you captain.”

He hesitantly pulled the cables away and picked up the cyberman head, carrying it up and outside, glad that Gwen and Ianto hadn’t got back yet to see this. 

Tosh emerged from a stack of boxes, holding a set of harddrives. “Jack?”

“I’ll be right back. Just give me ten minutes.”

As noone was out on the street he gladly stood just under the porch so Dr Franklin could see the sky. 

“I forgot how much I loved the sound of the rain. It’s beautiful, don’t you think?”

“I guess it is. That’s something we have no shortage of, rain… Are you comfortable?”

“I’ve had an itch on a right foot I no longer have for two months. This is bliss.”

He chuckled softly. “Never lost your sense of humour.” 

“Well, after you lose everything else you may as well keep your spirits up. How did you find me anyway?”

“Did you ever see the two little red creatures? They left a telepathic SOS at the hydrangea apartments. One of my agents lives there now.” 

“Clever little buggers. I assume they’re still alive.”

“Skinny but yea, still alive and kicking.”

“Give them a good home… I… I always thought if I could escape… I’d want to see my wife or… Or my old friends but this is nice… Just the rain...” His words became more and more faint but Jack stood with him as the minutes passed, just listening to the thrum of the pouring rain. The hum of the SUVs engine broke through the rushing water. Ianto and Gwen gave each other a look as they saw what Jack was holding. 

Melody sat patiently, almost mesmerised by the coloured image of her own brain activity projected onto the wall. 

“Is that normal?” She asked. 

Owen nodded. “Yep. Perfectly normal.”

“You should try and shout in your head. Maybe you’ll be able to see it.”

“Worth a shot.” He’d never tried to actively think loudly before but there was a first time for everything. He concentrated on the sound of the cog door alarm as well as he remembered it and just as he thought it wasn’t working a wave of colour moved over the image on the wall. Mels brain had lit up like a christmas tree the moment she’d picked up on the thought. 

“Is that normal?”

“I’ve never seen anything like that before.” He rewound the feed on his computer and watched the activity burst again. “This doesn’t show how it was picked up but it does show how your brain’s dealing with the information… Wait… I need a clearer view. I think we might need Jack for this. Shit.” 

“If there’s part of your mind you don’t mind me seeing I could just look through that. It should show a little more activity.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing in my head you’d want to see.”

“It can literally just be your drive to work. You just need to concentrate on it to highlight it and I can just get a really good look at your dashboard.”

“If I didn’t know you I’d ask if that was a euphemism.” 

She chuckled. “Owen.”

“Alright, alright. You said you’re ok with looking at surface thoughts, yea?”

“Yes.”

“Well I need to concentrate on this so how about you poke around the surface thoughts of the bloke in the cells.” 

She considered it for a moment before nodding. “Ok, deal.” 

He turned his attention back to the image on the wall as the activity began again. He turned the image and suddenly realised why her blood pressure kept rising out of control. It didn’t tell him how she did it but it was a start. He replayed and slowed the footage, zooming in to the occipital lobe. Though she had her eyes closed her brain was reacting as if she was watching a light show. He’d assumed whatever mechanism was used for telepathy would be located inside the brain but this showed that it might be hidden in her eyes. It made sense in a way as she could automatically read a huge amount just by eye contact. This he could work with. 

“Mel.”

“Yea? Did you find something?”

“I found a lot. Take a look at this.”

She looked up to the readings on the wall. “You’re going to have to explain what I’m looking at here. Sorry.” 

“See this bit lit up here.” He took a laser pointer from his pocket and highlighted part of the image. “This is the medula oblongata. It controls all of your basic functions like breathing, heart rate and, most importantly for you, blood pressure. When you’re actively using your telepathy your whole brain goes into overdrive which for the most part it can cope with. The problem crops up when it hits this little, but very important, part of your brain and brainstem. Because it’s receiving all of these other signals it gets confused and that creates the huge spike in your blood pressure.”

“Wow… But, how do we stop that happening?” 

“I haven’t got that far yet, but knowing the problem is a start. I think I might have found what gives you the ability but to be sure I’d have to examine your eyes.”

“Ah.”

“Yea. That’s going to be difficult. For now I’m going to concentrate on stabilizing your blood pressure and limiting any damage your telepathy is doing to you.” He wasn’t hiding his enthusiasm about the whole thing very well. Luckily Melody seemed just as excited. Answers, even if there wasn’t an immediate cure, made her feel a lot more normal. It was a legitimate physiological problem and not just a nebulous idea anymore. “Speaking of damage I need to take that second blood sample while your body’s still dealing with the extra activity.” While he took the second sample she went back to looking at the shifting colours that showed the activity in her brain. “Did you hear anything interesting from downstairs?”

“Not exactly. He was considering his options. I don’t think he’d stand a chance against Ianto in a one to one fight and making a deal with Janet would be a bit pointless. Apparently the fact that there are no guards is terrifying to him so that’s something I suppose.”

Jack secured Dr Franklins head inside a storage box and handed it to Ianto. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring it last?”

“I’m fine. Are you? You were standing on the porch and it’s the middle of the day.”

“Me? I was just saying goodbye to someone. Anyway, noone was around.”

“So, where did this friend of yours go?”

Jack patted the top of the box.

“Bloody hell.”

“He asked about Yvonne. Did you ever meet her?”

“I saw her once or twice. She was a good leader from what I know.”

“Listen, I know we try not to talk about your time in London but…”

“But what?”

“Are there any gaps in your memory from your time there?”

“Yes, but I’ve been told by multiple people that PTSD can do that. What’s really bothering you?” He asked as he handed the box off to Gwen.

“Would you be against trying to double check if your memory’s been tampered with?” 

He looked for any sign that Jack was joking but found nothing. He was one hundred percent serious and almost looked scared. “That depends on how.”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe I can ask Melody but I just need to know you’re ok with it.” 

“If it’s really bothering you ok. Why don’t we talk about this later, in private?” He glanced over to Tosh who was desperately trying to look busy and stay out of the conversation. 

Jack cleared his throat and grabbed another box to carry to the SUV. “Later then.” 


	9. Top floor

Phillip Bell had been trying for years to find Torchwoods base of operations. After London Cardiff was the most active so he thought that would be the next easiest. He didn’t think he’d end up trapped there, wherever he actually was. It’s not as if the space he’d been locked into for transport had windows. If he could just get out of this box he could try and escape. Maybe even grab a few things on his way out. He heard footsteps approaching and voices.

“I was thinking cell six could work. It should be far enough that the sound of the water filter won’t bother Janet or Tex. Plus that door jams anyway so the sand blocking it won’t make things more difficult at feeding time.” Ianto said, holding the fishers cage under one arm and a large tray under the other. 

Melody was following, pulling a cart containing a bag of sand, two large containers of water and a pile of cuttings Owen had said were safe to give them from the hothouse. “I’ve ordered the filter and the glass for their tank so those’ll be here in a couple of days. The sand won’t be here until next week along with the larger stones.”

“I can pick up some gravel tomorrow for them. Did Owen say when he could give us a list of safe plants for them?”

“He said he’d email me the list by tomorrow afternoon. Jack really likes these little guys, doesn’t he.”

“They remind him of home… In a good way.”

She smiled softly. “I wanted to be a zookeeper when I was little. I guess I’m doing a little bit of that now.” 

“Your own private zoo.”

“I suppose so. Now if I just manage to sell one of my drawings I’ll have completed my primary school list of life goals.”

“You draw?”

“I’ll show you one of my sketchbooks some time if you promise not to laugh.” 

“I’d never.” 

Phillip cleared his throat to get the attention of these two new people. “Hello? Do I get a lawyer or a call or something?” 

“You get fed at six and handed over to UNIT as soon as they have the manpower to transport you.”

“UNIT. I know them. They’re military right? UNIT and Torchwood work together?” 

“Not exactly but we don’t want to take care of you so you go to them and your collection stays with us.”

“Take care of me? They’re going to kill me?”

Ianto would have facepalmed if his hands weren’t both full. “Why would we feed you if they were going to kill you anyway?” 

“Christ, they’re going to experiment on me then aren’t they?!”

“What?” 

Melody sighed. “Don’t rise to it. He’s just playing dumb to get sympathy and maybe get you to open the door. He’s going to try the old medical emergency trick next.” 

Phillip glared at her. 

“See? And now he’s wishing he still had the inter-dimensional heart so he could feed us to the cleaners, or butchers as he’s called them before. Rest assured sir, that even if by some miracle you managed to escape you wouldn’t be able to take any technology we have here as it is all safely locked away.”

He moved back and slumped onto the bench, defeated. Ianto smirked and kept moving towards the fishers new home.

“Is this the last of it?” Asked Gwen as she placed down a box. 

Tosh nodded. “The rest was just normal household items. I’m going to be here for hours just finding out what’s on all those harddrives. I’m just thankful that they were all labelled.”

“Have you seen all the corresponding notebooks? I don’t know if he needs prison or professional help.”

Owen opened the box that contained Dr Franklins head and winced. “Both. How did he even get this?”

“From Torchwood one.” Jack said as he walked past. “He was still alive.”

“For how long?”

“Until I unplugged him. You might want to study him though. He was still himself, just trapped in there.” 

Owen carefully put the lid back on the box and carried it down to the medical bay, feeling a little uneasy just holding the thing. He’d study it later. 

Gwen and Tosh shared a worried look before the ex police officer spoke. “Are you and Ianto OK? You were both really… off… earlier.” 

“We’re fine.” Jack assured them, though he wasn’t as convincing as he usually was. “It was a shock, that’s all.” 

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m certain.” 

Ianto smiled, watching the fishers swim across the surface of the shallow water in the tray. They seemed a lot happier now they had some water and some sand to play on. Melody arranged some of the plants into a kind of nest.

“Something’s bothering you.” She said quietly. 

“Hmm?”

“You’re worried. You don’t have to talk about it with me but you should talk to someone with how it’s affecting you.”

He leaned back against the glass wall. “Jack asked me something earlier and I don’t even know why it’s bothering me. I know I have gaps in my memory but why dig that up now?”

“With everything you deal with everyday maybe he thinks you didn’t just forget.”

“What would that have to do with Yvonne?”

“I don’t know who that is, sorry.”

“She was my boss. Well, everyone at Londons boss.”

Melody frowned. “Ianto, you just tried to replay two memories and fit them in the same time zone. That’s not normal.”

“What?” He looked over at her, a dull panic rising in his gut. “No. I just meant Yvonne was head of Torchwood one.” 

“And what was your position?” 

“Junior researcher.”

“How did you get that job?”

“I… Well, I applied… I mean…”

“Yvonne. Your mind’s screaming that name.” 

“Stop it!” He snapped, pulling himself up as his heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t even know why he was reacting so defensively. She was just worried about him, the same as Jack was. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout.” 

She sat quietly, letting him pull himself together. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.” Careful with her movements, not wanting to startle him, she stood and opened the door before approaching the cart. “I’ll go and put this away. Would you like me to ask Jack to come down?”

“Wait. Just… What would cause this to happen?”

“I wouldn’t want to speculate. It could be you’ve connected a lot of trauma with her name, or … No… Nevermind.” 

He stepped out of the cell and closed the door so the fishers didn’t escape, then took her hand. “Melody. Just tell me… Please?” There was a creeping dread emanating from him as she guided him to a chair and sat him down. 

“You’re ok. Just breathe.”

He did as he was told, knowing he would feel better if he did. 

“I’ve heard from other telepaths that certain conditioning can cause memory overlaps. It’s been seen in military personnel, secret service members, people like that. It’s usually controlled by their handler or superior to help wipe memories that could possibly cause security breaches if they were captured. It also reinforces the agents trust and dependency on their handler or superior. I’m not saying that’s what this is, it’s just what I’ve heard.” Her voice was calm and soothing, borderline hypnotic.

His heart rate settled to a less frenzied rhythm as he listened. “But why would that be done to me? I worked in an office. I wasn’t a front line agent.”

“I could try and find out but… It would be kind of invasive and I’ll only do it if you’re one hundred percent ok with that.”

“I need to know.” 

“Then we should go talk to Jack and do this the right way, not down here and not while you’re scared.” 

Jack had insisted on Owen being on call just in case something went wrong. He sat next to his boyfriend for support as Melody sat across from them in the meeting room. It was quiet but not uncomfortable. In fact the temperature was perfect for falling asleep. 

“I’m not going to lie, this isn’t going to be comfortable, so if you need me to stop at any time just say. No questions asked, ok?” She said, her voice reverberating around the room as if they were sitting next to a body of water. 

He nodded. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Just close your eyes and relax.” 

He felt a twinge as his mind protested having someone essentially sifting through his memories. The hardest part was not fighting back. As gentle as she was it still felt like threads being woven through his brain, wrapping around nerves and shifting things around. His heart began to race again and he squeezed Jacks hand, trying to stay calm. 

“We should stop.” The captain said softly, clearly concerned. 

Ianto let a long breath out through clenched teeth. “Not yet.” 

Melody finally got to the cluster of memories she was looking for and many of them looked to have been completely destroyed, too fragmented to ever recover, each shard surrounded by a kind of chemical haze. One thread connected each splintered remnant. Yvonne. The spider at the centre of the web. She moved to untangle the mesh of threads. They pulled taught to try and keep her from damaging the delicate balance of the mesh. A few of the thinner threads snapped, not that they were really attached to anything anymore, and fell away to nothing. Just dust on the breeze compared to the tornado raging inside the lattice of Iantos mind. The long strings had tried to worm their way into other memories, older memories. She reached out for one and got a head full of shouting. It was a male voice, angry and slightly slurred, echoing off walls she couldn’t see. The thread snapped and the voice faded back to where it should have been stored. Another memory that seemed to burn with a sickly yellow smoke was tethered to the web. She steeled herself to see whatever it was linking itself to and grabbed onto the string. Alarms blared in her ears, the smell of blood and smoke filling her nose as scenes swirled around her. She felt her eyes burn from both the noxious smoke and terrified tears that weren’t her own. Screams assaulted her senses from all directions. She tried to breathe but found herself coughing through the memory. Far off she heard the sound of metal hitting metal and she stepped back, the thread snapping and releasing her from the memory. Her knees buckled and she took a moment to pull herself together. She didn’t have time to just sit around. This was for Ianto, to stop him suffering. Stop this spider web woven inside his mind from holding him hostage for the rest of his life. Another memory, tethered to the web with one of the main lines of silk hovered above as if watching the chaos below. Yvonne. That was the spark. The start of this web. That absolute monster. Melody couldn’t help but feel a deep hatred towards this woman but she could process that later. She grabbed onto the string.

“Stop!” Ianto cried out, clutching his head, gasping for breath. Tears of agony trickled down his face. The pain too much for even him to cope with. 

She immediately retreated, closing the route she’d taken. “It’s ok. Slow, deep, breaths. You’re safe.” Her voice calm and soft, confident in every word. 

He leant heavily on Jack as he tried to calm his terrified mind, appreciating the warmth of his lovers arms as the feeling of safety slowly returned. For that moment he’d felt as if he was about to die but now he couldn’t pinpoint why other than the migraine. Melody unfolded a blanket and wrapped it around both men before returning to her seat. It was as if she’d done this before but Iantos hazy mind was too preoccupied to work out why. Not that it particularly mattered. 

“I’ve got you.” Jack soothed. “You’re safe.” 

It was a long time before anyone said anything about what had actually just happened. Ianto looked up from his spot with his head rested on Jacks shoulder. 

“Do I want to know what you found?” He asked wearily. 

Melody sighed. “There wasn’t much left there to find. I’m sorry. Those memories have been destroyed. I don’t know if it was done chemically or through a different process but they can’t be recovered. At this point, as the source of this manipulation is gone, it might be best to just leave it all behind you.”

“So, Yvonne really did do something to me?”

“She is a prominent figure in it. Digging any more could just cause you more pain for no good outcome.”

The deep sadness in his eyes faded to a tiredness that was stronger than his age should allow. 

“If you want I can help you get some peaceful sleep tonight and you can process it all when you feel up to it.” 

He nodded and felt a warmth spread through his mind. It was like a mental anaesthetic. Jack helped him down to the bunker so he could crash for the night, asleep as soon as he hit the sheets. 

“Thanks for this… Is he going to be ok?” The captain asked, climbing back out of the bunker he called a bedroom. 

Melody nodded. “He’ll be ok. He just needs to rest. Whatever this Yvonne person did runs deep, very deep, but its reach is limited without her here to reinforce it.”

“That’s something I guess. I wish I hadn’t brought it up.” The regret was clear on his face.

“You just did what you thought was best for him.”

“Do you need a lift home?” 

She shook her head. “You stay here with him. I’ll text Owen to say everything went ok and I’ll make sure everything’s locked up for the night. I’ll head in early tomorrow to make sure all of the busywork is done.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” She assured him with a cool professionalism she’d gained over the months she’d been working at Torchwood. “Get some rest for yourself, yea?”

He nodded a goodbye and she made her way to the locker room to grab her things. After sending the text to Owen she took her set of keys and checked the outer doors. UNIT would be picking Mr Bell up at eight thirty in the morning so she’d need to be up early to get Janets feeding done along with her usual morning duties before then. No problem. Stepping out into the dark she opened her umbrella and slipped on her headphones to block out the world around her. Flashes of smoke filled hallways in her mind made her stagger a little as she made her way home, the rain beating down on her mercilessly. By the time she stepped into the foyer of the Hydrangea apartments her legs were soaked. The bright stripes of the police tape that covered the door to the basement caught her eye and stood to remind her of what happened only days ago. She shook it off and got into the lift. Home called. She wanted a hot bath and to get an early night before the foreign memories her mind had gripped onto settled in to stay. She managed to get so far as taking off her wet clothes and dropping them in the laundry basket before her body decided it had enough. She began to cough, the taste of noxious smoke on her tongue, and curled up on the sofa. She had a blanket and a cushion so that was enough. 


End file.
